Biogeosciences
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Articles | Volume 21, issue 19
Articles | Volume 21, issue 19
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4251-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4251-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 21, issue 19
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
30 Sep 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 30 Sep 2024

How is particulate organic carbon transported through the river-fed submarine Congo Canyon to the deep sea?

Sophie Hage, Megan L. Baker, Nathalie Babonneau, Guillaume Soulet, Bernard Dennielou, Ricardo Silva Jacinto, Robert G. Hilton, Valier Galy, François Baudin, Christophe Rabouille, Clément Vic, Sefa Sahin, Sanem Açikalin, and Peter J. Talling

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Editorial statement
This study documents a unique and highly efficient process of particulate organic carbon (POC) transfer from a major river estuary to the deep ocean. By providing the first direct observations of Congo River-derived POC at significant depths, the study reveals how both turbidity currents and tidal forces facilitate the movement of large carbon quantities to the Congo deep-sea fan, 1,200 km from the river mouth. Given that the Congo River contributes about 7% of the total organic carbon from the world's rivers, the findings highlight a potentially underestimated component of the global carbon cycle, making this research crucial for refining carbon cycle models and understanding carbon dynamics along the land-ocean continuum.
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The land-to-ocean flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) is difficult to measure, inhibiting accurate modeling of the global carbon cycle. Here, we quantify the POC flux between one of the largest rivers on Earth (Congo) and the ocean. POC in the form of vegetation and soil is transported by episodic submarine avalanches in a 1000 km long canyon at up to 5 km water depth. The POC flux induced by avalanches is at least 3 times greater than that induced by the background flow related to tides.
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